Target-holder.



G. P. WORRELL.

TARGET HOLDER.

APPLIOATION nun APR. 22. 1909.

Patnted Oct. 19,1909.

N IIVVENTOR Charles P. Wo /ell WITNESSES fffiwmi A TTOHNE YS' CHARLES P. WORRELL, 0F ZANESVILLE, OHIO.

TARGET-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 19, 1909.

Application filed April 22, 1909. Serial No. 491,505.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES P. WORRELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Zanesville, in the county of Muskingum and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Target-Holder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention is an improvement in target holders and belongs to that class of such devices embodying a box or casing having an open front over which the target is stretched.

The object of the invention is to provide in connection with the front of such a box, clamping strips to bind the edges of the target and laterally adjustable to stretch the target out, and a member closing the rear of the box to check the shot or bullets, the member being preferably in the form of a separable metal plate.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of ref erence indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved target holder complete, showing a target applied; Fig. 2 is a section substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

The target holder comprises a box or casing 5 of any suitable size having an open front and closed at the back by a suitable member to check the flight of the shot or bullets, the member preferably being in the nature of a metal plate 6, separable from and slightly larger than the box, the latter being suspended from the top of the plate by a cord 7 and hook 8. The front edge of the box is covered with strips or bars 9 and 10, the bars 9 being located at the top and bottom and the bars 10 arranged at the sides and overlapping the bars 9 at the ends, all of the bars being slightly wider than the thickness of the walls of the box to extend inwardly when arranged flush with the outer faces of the box, as best shown in Fig. 2, thus providing the box at the front with a substantially internal flange. In addition to the strips or bars 10, relatively narrow strips 11 are also secured to the opposite sides of the box and arranged inwardly and spaced from the strips 10 to provide slots 12 of substantial width. While this manner of forming the slots 12 is preferable it is nevertheless obvious that'each strip 10 and the adjacent strip 11 could be made as a single piece and provided with a vertical slot.

Laterally slidable on the strips 10 and 11 in a vertical direction and adapted to be secured in any position of adjustment within the limits of the sliding movement are target clamps, each consisting of an inner cross-bar 13, performing the function of a clamping jaw, and a similarly arranged but shorter bar 14:, performing the function of an opposed clamping jaw, the bars 14: being slightly narrower than the bars 13 to provide shoulders 13 at the inner sides of the clamps and having thumb screws 15 arranged at the end portions, and the bar 13 having'clamping screws 16 passing through the slots 12 and provided with thumb-nuts at the outside. The shoulders 13* facilitate the insertion of the edges of the target 17, which edges are clamped between the two sets of bars, and the bars 13 adjusted to place the target at the desired elevation in the open front of the box and to hold the target under slight tension.

The bullets on passing through the target will strike the plate 6 and will drop flattened out into the box. The flanges provided by the marginal strips on the front of the box will, to a considerable extent, prevent the bullets from rebounding or spattering to the outside of the box. The box may ordinarily be constructed of wood, with a metal lining 19 and iron bars, as shown. This is the standard construction, but if preferred wood bars may be used, or the entire holder may be made of metal.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a target holder, a box having an open front, bars extending across the open front of the box and adjustable thereon to andfrom each other, and bars carried by the aforesaid bars to clamp the edges of the target.

2. In a target holder, a box having an open front, marginal strips attached to the front of the box, strips attached to the front of the box and arranged inwardly of the marginal strips, forming slots in connection therewith, bars arranged crosswise of the 4. In a target, a box having an open front, I clamps extending across the open front of the box and adjustable thereon to and from eachother, and a flexible target having its opposite edges secured by the clamps.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 name to this specification in the presence of tWo subscrlblng wltnesses.

CHARLES P. WORRELL.

Witnesses:

W. E. ALirIoA, JULIA E. DANTZ. 

